Variphyla
Variphyla is a marilith from the Forgotten Realms setting. Mariliths are high-ranking tanar'ri, demons hailing from the Abyssal Planes that seek to destroy mortals and bolster their numbers in their eternal Blood War, and Variphyla is no exception. With six wickedly-sharp swords at her disposal along with infernal magic, she is a force to be reckoned with. This RPer is the first to use this character, and Variphyla has been active since 6 January 2014. This is not the RPer's first character, also playing as Judith. Background Variphyla is a demon from the Abyss, a plane of elemental chaos from the universe that includes Faerun. Born in the realm of Azzagrat, she constantly plotted and schemed to try and make her way up the hierarchy, claiming as much power as she could lay her hands on. Her goal was to become powerful enough to challenge the escorts of the demon lord Graz'zt and one day take her place in a higher seat. After eons of planning and undermining superiors, Variphyla was extended an invitation to the Argent Palace, Graz'zt's place of refuge. There, she would assist in developing tactics to thwart the main enemies of her patron: Demogorgon and Orcus. For a long time, Variphyla was partially content with her lot; however, she constantly schemed behind Graz'zt's back, trying to find ways to undermine his two marilith escorts, Unhath and Reluhantis. Killing one of them could ensure Variphyla a coveted position at the Demon Prince's side, but some fell magic inadvertently summoned her to a realm where she was completely unfamiliar--the Multiverse. The marilith quickly realized that without anyone like Graz'zt to plot for or to escort, she could technically claim this place as her own slice of the Abyss. Involvement Variphyla found that her strength was utterly lacking after her summoning to the Mutliverse, and her first order of business was to search for a place where she could find a strong blade to improve her strength. This led the marilith to Arreat Crater in the Sanctuary realm, where she tested her mettle against would-be barbarian heroes that would otherwise stop at nothing to destroy the lives of any demon that spawned from that pit. After allying with native demons and razing two settlements to the ground, Variphyla managed to slither her way to the bottom of the crater, where she encountered a large demon named Hemit the Feared wielding a massive flaming sword that the locals knew as "Doombringer". A fierce battle ensued, and Variphyla's demonic allies were all slain, but in the end, that did not matter--she was victorious, and she was able to claim Doombringer for herself. Her patience was sorely tested when she found herself outside of the realm of Pandemonium. Here, she found herself with one Emperor Mateus and his servant-warriors, and he promised to offer her power beyond her wildest dreams. Normally, Variphyla would have not thought twice about slicing the mortal's head clean off his shoulders for such contempt, but seeing as she was still weakened from her summoning, she agreed to assist him in reclaiming his castle. After trekking through swamplands and arriving once again in a crystalline castle, the marilith did what she was able to do best--whip snivelling demonic forces into fighting shape. However, tensions began to rise between Mateus and Variphyla, and the latter left the gilded emperor with a scar across his cheek as a reminder to never cross her. She then set out to conquer the palace of hell for herself, seeing as the upstart mortal had no more clout. Despite Variphyla's nagging feelings that she would encounter further resistance in the castle, she pushed forward, destroying whatever undead atrocities she met with little trouble. Despite the fact that she was alone and with very limited allies, she managed to destroy groups of imps and even a massive metallic construct that spewed noxious gasses. The hall before the throne room held a bit of challenge, given that mobility was limited, but she was victorious, and she effortlessly destroyed the withered lich that had commandeered the throne. Sitting upon it herself, she found herself the new ruler of Pandemonium. This was short-lived, however, as she was forced to quickly defend her newly-acquired territory from an onslaught of demons from Sanctuary, led by forces of Ba'al. Recruiting from a pool including creatures like Garm the Demon Hound, Airy, lackeys of Cerebrate (including Rok'ark), and Albedo Piazzolla, she set out to destroy those that would demolish her newest acquisition. Once more, her diplomatic skills were put to the test as she wandered across the plains of Spira, stumbling across a small zerg outpost belonging to Cerebrate. Feeling rather inquisitive, the marilith managed to make psychic contact through a nearby overlord. After a bit of negotiating, Cerebrate allowed Variphyla an audience in his hive, but not before having her agree to allow being teleported there so as to keep the location of their headquarters secret. She agreed to the terms and, through the assistance of Neuromancer, arrived at the Hive in Spira. Variphyla met face to face with Cerebrate and his bodyguard Rok'ark to discuss ways of increasing her power, having learned that the zerg themselves sample essence from the multitudes of races with which they have made contact. While originally not wanting to come to any agreement, Cerebrate eventually relented, and Variphyla exchanged a bit of her demonic ichor and a scale from her serpentine body for the whereabouts of a weapon known as the Hunter's Blade, lost in the Omega Ruins. Using Cerebrate's nydus transporation system, she arrived at the ruins with Rok'ark and is currently searching the area for the aforementioned weapon. Most recently, Variphyla agreed to assist a distress call from SA-X after unusual storms on Coruscant brought with them rebel insurgents. Having been forced to hold her tongue for so long, she was assigned to kill as many rebels as possible alongside Albedo Piazzolla, Lancer, and Larxene. As they traveled closer to the core of the planet, the group came across parasitic creatures (metroids) that were destroying and sucking the energy from any living creature they could find. After destroying one found in the wreckage of an X fighter, the group stumbled across the leader of the resistant forces riding atop a massive creature that seemed to be related to and controlling the parasites. Manning a defensive turret while the rest of the group was destroyed by metroids, Variphyla managed to freeze and destroy the mount, thereby effectively turning the metroids feral and ravenous. As of late, Variphyla has been seen interacting with SA-X and other members of the Lords of Midnight, and she has decided to join in their ranks, feeling that she has more than proved her worth to both Cerebrate and the parasite leader. Role against the New Valorians During the first phase of the New Valorian attacks, Variphyla, alongside several other notable warriors (Raiden, Touko Fukawa, and the Uber Ethereal), were attacked by the New Valorian Janus Cascade, who was attempting to take out a bounty on any villain he came across. Unfortunately for him, Janus' arrogance was his undoing, and the four of them managed to kill him in Traverse Town. Caring little for the opinions of her comrades-in-arms. Variphyla mutilated his body even after killing bystanders to draw him out of hiding. Unsurprisingly, the New Valorians also attempted to launch attacks at Lords-held territories, including an aerial assault against Ganondorf's fortress. Her new general, a fallen chaos lord named Sarah, assisted in the defense of the Lords' headquarters by summoning demons from her home of Sheogh to help stem the tide. Thanks in part to her efforts and those of the other defending lords, the keep held... but at what cost? Variphyla herself was busy slaying other New Valorians during this time, and despite their best efforts to try and take her down, the marilith's defenses held strong. What she could not have predicted, though, was seeing Ganondorf killed in battle so easily. If he was gone, who would be able to actually control the Lords? Would they collapse without him? Would the group devolve to a bunch of in-fighting power-hungry despots desperate to hold onto their little fiefdoms? She pondered this after the battle, wondering if it was time to flee the sinking ship while she had an opportunity to do so... Powers and Capabilities Mariliths are prodigious tacticians, which leads to their more rational appearance when compared to other strains of tanar'ri. In the Abyssal Planes, mariliths are tasked with trying to lead squadrons of lesser tanar'ri into battle--a nigh-impossible task for such chaotic creatures. In addition to tactical prowess, mariliths are also expert swordsmen, effortlessly wielding six blades and shredding lesser opponents to ribbons with them. All mariliths are able to communicate telepathically to anyone in their immediate area, which is good for Variphyla, as she has not seemed to grasp the eloquencies of the common tongue yet. Recently, Variphyla has been dabbling more in magic. She is currently able to cause her opponents scarring mental trauma by forcing them to see their own darkest fears manifest in front of their eyes. Her latest spell causes an opponent's lifeblood to transform into an acidic compound, burning them from the inside. Through the use of Doombringer, she is also able to enhance her offensive capabilities, able to add extra fire or cutting damage to her attacks. An interesting side note: after her adventure in Pandemonium, Variphyla found that some of the latent energy from this particular hell had coalesced into small crystalline growths across her body. These nodes have boosted her defenses against all attacks as well as increased her regenerative abilities. Followers Sarah Sarah hails from the hells of Ashan. She is a fallen angel turned chaos lord tasked with finding the Invisible Library, a hidden library filled with documents of how to exterminate the Faceless, creatures wishing to destroy the angels and demons of the world. While she had not found what she had been searching for, she found a new opportunity in Variphyla's conquest of Pandemonium. Her magic involves manipulating luck and chaos, striking a foe with misfortune while stealing their luck and applying it to any allies or underlings under her command. She now wields Doombringer, as Variphyla has expanded her armory and is in the business of collecting swords. Quotes {You prideful little insect, thinking that you can control a tanar'ri by sheer circumstance. What have you done to even earn the privilege of the illusion that you can control me, earn my grudging respect? Without your pathetic 'army', as you insist on calling it, you are nothing.} -- Variphyla confronting Mateus in Pandemonium shortly before leaving a large scar across his face. Trivia Unbeknownst to Variphyla, Terra Branford is also vying to take control of the same castle in Pandemonium. Terra, however, did not continue to vie for the castle, essentially relinquishing it to the marilith. One of Variphyla's long-term goals is to acquire enough power to take one of the abyssal planes under her own control, thus turning her into a demon lord. Another goal is to fully equip herself with an arsenal of magical blades so she can truly prove herself superior to her foes. Doombringer is the first of these six. See also External links *Variphyla's Stat Sheet *Marilith page on Forgotten Realms Wiki Category:Player Characters